Spark-plug cleaner



Oct. 15, 1929, w. F. wATKlNs SPARK PLUG' CLEANER Filed-Jan. 5l, 1928 l... Il

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Patented Oct. 15, 1929- 'WILLIAM F. WATKIN S, 0F OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA smak-:PLUG CLEANER Application led January 31, 1928. Serial No. 250,832.

My invention relates to improvements in sand blast spark plug cleaners and the object of my invention is to provide simple and ellicient sand blast means for thoroughly remov- 5 ing the carbon from carbonized spark plugs very quickly and easily.

Another object is to provide a sand blast spark plug cleaner in which sand or salt or any other finely divided abrasive materlal may be employed, and, in which the abrasive material is returned to its original hopper and may be used over and over again many times thereby doing away with the necessity of replenishing the charge of abrasive material except at rare intervals.

Another object is to provide a sand blast spark plug cleaner by which clean air may be blown into the spark plug after the plug has been sand blasted, to thereby clean out all particles of sand and dirt.

A further object is to provide a spark plug cleaner that is adaptedto receive and hold spark plugs of different size.

Other and more specic objects wil be apparent from the following description taken in connection with thev accompanying drawings.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a sand blast spark plug cleaner constructed in accordance with my invention showing a spark plug therein.

F ig. 2 is a vertical mid-section of the-same.

Referring to the drawings, throughout which like reference numerals designate like parts, 5 designates a sander body having, ori

its bottom, a c lindrical stud 6, that lits snugly but rotatab y into the top end of a vertical supporting pipe 7 and serves to hold the sander body horizontal and to permit the sander to be adjusted by turning the same about a vertical axis. The lower end of the pipe 7 is secured b a fitting 8 to a support 10, as a bench or ta le.

The sander body is provided at its forward end with a receptacle 11 for a bushing 12 into which a spark plug 13 of the type commonly used in internal combustion engines is secured. The bushing 12 is held by readily releasable means, as by a set screw 14, so that it may be quickly and easily removed and re- `placed by a bushing of different internal diameter for the reception of a spark plug of different size. The sander body is provided, just to the rear of the spark plug receptacle 11, with an internal uprightl tube or stand pipe 15 that extends through a bushing 16 into a sand receptacle 17, the stand pipe 15 constituting a part of the support for the sand receptacle 17. Within the rear. end of the sander housing 5 is a suction chamber 18 of relatively large size into which extends a relatively small air jet tube which is formed on the end of a bushing 21 that is screwed into the end of the sander housing 5. The suction chamber 18 has a convergent front end 22 and is provided with a small outlet opening 23 arranged directly in front of the end of the tube 20, the tube terminating a short distance from the opening 23. A valve 24 is connected with the bushin 21 and an air conduit tube 25 preferably a exible hose, is connected with the valve 24 for supplying air under pressure to the sander. The top of the suction chamber 18 is connected by a passage way 26 through a valve 27 with the sand receptacle 17. The valve 27 has the usual valve plug 28 which may be turned to open o-r close the valve and said valve 27 cooperates with the pipe 15 in supporting the sand receprtacle 17, a bushing 30 being provided in the bottom of the sand receptacle 17 to lit over the top of the valve.

A screen-like hood or cover, preferably in the form of a cloth bag 31 is slipped over the top of the sand receptacle 17 and secured in place by a snap ring 32. This bag is preferably of fine enough mesh to retain the finely divided abrasive material but is coarse enough to permit the air to escape freely without creating a back pressure. The tube 15 projects far enough up into the sand receptacle 17 to be above the sand that lies in the bottom of said sand receptacle.

In the operation of this spark plug sander, the spark plug 13 that is to be cleaned is screwed intothe bushing 12 and the air valve 24 and sand valve 27h28 are opened, permitting sand to discharge into the suction chamber 18` and air under pressure to discharge at a high velocity from the end of the finto the end of the spark plu tube 20. The discharging air creates a suction within the chamber 18, which picks up the sand and drives it forcibly against and 13 thereby scouring the end of the s ark p ug and completely removing all car on from the s ark plug housin and from the electrodes an the orcelain. find that application of the sand or fifteen seconds is suiiicient to remove all carbon from the dirtiest spark plug leaving the porcelain absoltuely white and the metal 'parts bri htly burnished.

After the partic es of sand strike against the spark plug they will be blown up through the tube 15 and will collect in the sand receptacle 17, the air escaping through the cover bag 31. After a spark plug has been sanded for about fifteen seconds the valve 27-28 is closed and the air valve left o en, allowing the air to blow all particles o dirt and sand out of the spark lug before the same is removed. The cloth gag may be readily removed and replaced if it becomes badly worn by the sand. The sand orother abrasive may be used over and over again as lon as any of the same remains.

'Iie foregoing description and accompanying drawings clearly disclose a preferred embodiment of m invention but it will be understood that t is disclosure is merely illustrative and that such changes may be resorted to as are fairly within the scope and spirit of the following claims.

I claim: l

1. In a sand blast spark plug cleaner, a sander housing, means at one end of said sander housin for receiving and holding a spark plug with its electrode end directed into said housin means forming a chamber at the other en of said housin an air jet tube extending into said cham er and directed toward said spark plug, a receptacle for finely divided abrasive material, valve controlled conduit means for admitting abrasive material from the receptacle to the chamber, and an upwardly directed return conduit for sand connecting said receptacle with said housing at a point adjacent the electrode end of said spark lug.

2. The apparatus as descri ed in claim 1,

in which the return conduit for sand projects upwardly into the sand receptacle above the usual sand level.

3. The apparatus as described in claim 1, in which the return conduit projects upwardly into the receptacle above the usual material level and a screen like cover is provided on the receptacle.

4.` In a s ark plu cleaner ofthe class described, a ousing aving a spark plug receptacle at one end and having a chamber toward its other end and having a relatively small opening between the chamber and the spark plug receptacle, means for supporting said housing horizontally, a vertical conduit tube communicating with the spark plu receptacle, a valve communicating with sai chamber and extending upwardly from the housing, a sand receptacle sup orted by said valve and said vertical con uit tube and communicating with both of the same the tube extending upwardly into the san receptacle above the usual sand level, a cloth bag forming a cover for the receptacle to prevent the escape of sand and permit the escape of air, an air jet tube extending into said chamber in alignment with said relatively small opening and valve controlled nans for delivering compressed air to said The-foregoing specification signed at Seattle, Wash., this 30th diyiof December, 1927.

WILLI F. WATKINS. 

